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Trion delays Defiance F2P console launch
If you were looking forward to a free-to-play version of Defiance on your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 this week, you'll have to wait a while longer. Trion has announced a delay from the previously scheduled July 15 launch. "As you've seen or possibly experienced this week, we've been having stability issues with our console platforms," the firm explains on its website. "The team is working on a number of game additions as part of its crossover with Season 2 of the Defiance TV show and the latest build has negatively impacted game stability. Our programmers are working on addressing these issues." Trion doesn't provide an ETA, but it says that "this is a priority fix for us, as we are eager to welcome fans on all platforms." [Thanks Sorenthaz!]
The Division's director on gameplay, customization, and The Cleaners
Ubisoft has released a video filmed at last month's E3 featuring The Division game director Ryan Barnard and a bunch of slick-looking footage. Barnard touches on gameplay, character customization, Clancy-style tech, and a group of baddies known as The Cleaners who take no prisoners when it comes to dealing with The Division's infected populace. Click past the cut to have a look!
SOE Live player panels include support for military gamers
SOE Live posted its list of player panels today for its convention, with topics ranging from supporting military gamers to fansite management. The full list is as follows: Friday, August 15 11:00 am - 12:00 pm -– EQ2U & Dragon's Armory 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm –- Live Together, Die Alone: Surviving H1Z1 as a Group 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm –- Inter-Outfit Operations in PS2 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm –- Become Your Character: Tricks and Tips for Cosplay 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm –- Military Gamers: Taking Care of Each Other Saturday, August 16 10:00 am - 11:00 am -– Social Media/Steaming & Fansites 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm -– Effective Guild and League Management 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm –- Improving Your EverQuest 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm –- DCUO – Advanced Raid Tactics 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm –- The New Conglomerate 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm -– Hardcore Decorating in EQII 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm –- EQII Game Macros, ACT Triggers, and You!
Firefall to launch July 29
Firefall's extended beta will soon be over as Red 5 Studios has announced that the MMO shooter will be launching on July 29th. The free-to-play game has been gearing up for this launch with a series of dev blogs entitled Path to Launch that each spotlight a particular game feature that MMO shooter fans -- and general MMO fans -- may enjoy. "The update we are releasing for launch will be the largest update we have ever had," said James Macauley, CEO of Red 5 Studios. "It will quadruple the amount of world space in Firefall and add roughly 15-times the amount of content we have had previously in Beta." Be sure to check out our own early impressions of the game and take a look at the official press release for more info on what to expect at launch.
Heroes & Generals adds paratroopers, new uniforms
Reto-Moto has released a new update for its World War II strategy/shooter Heroes & Generals. Codenamed "Quesada," the patch brings paratroopers to the game and allows players to jump out of C-47 Skytrains or Junkers Ju-52s and "perform surprise attacks" on the battlefield. Quesada also features new uniform variations for classes including US Recon, US Paratrooper, German Tank Crew, German Recon, and German Paratrooper. You can see the full list of tweaks and additions via the patch changelog. [Source: Reto-Moto press release]
SOE explains PlanetSide 2 patch scheduling
Have you ever wondered why MMO studios patch their games when and how they do? Well, wonder no more, at least in PlanetSide 2's case. SOE producer David Carey recently took to Reddit to explain why the MMOFPS' server downtime typically starts during European prime time. PS2 is a worldwide game, Carey says, and so bringing the EU shards down independently isn't feasible. "We can't have multiple client or server versions out in the wild at the same time," he explains. "Another reason is that we update once a week or more on average," Carey continues. "We need people to run the patches, so we really can't just say 'hey you guys are working overnight tonight and maybe two other nights this week, we'll let you know.' I mean, they have families and that's just not fair. So that rules out some time slots like 2:00 a.m. local other than for emergencies."
PlanetSide 2's Hossin update is live but not entirely done
PlanetSide 2 players are today logging into the Hossin patch, a major update with a new continent with more than 80 new bases in a new biome. The update includes the first phase of the new continent locking mechanic for territory control and perks for guilds -- sorry, outfits -- including new recruiting, decal, and capturing systems. Creative Director Matt Higby warns, however, that "Hossin is not finished": If we wanted to "finish" Hossin without sacrificing the quality level we've established, it would probably be 3 months before it was ready to go live - we don't want to wait that long, and we don't think you want to either. [...] Right now about 50% of the bases on Hossin are "done" to the point that we're completely satisfied with the quality of the level design and visuals, about 25% of the bases are first pass [...] and another 25% are [placeholders]. We expect these bases to function correctly, provide all the necessary utilities to make the game work - they're just not 100% up to our standards of level design quality quite yet. Higby calls this the "Early Expedition" approach and says the teams will continue work on the "beta" continent over the next few months. [Thanks, theKavorka.]
The Division dev talks districts, mobile, and more
Co-Optimus has posted an interesting video Q&A with Division IP developer Martin Hultberg of Ubisoft. Hultberg talks a bit about the game's backstory as well as how players will interact with the game world. There are certain level restrictions, for example, as well as equipment requirements for entering a given area (gas masks to deal with contagion levels, etc.). Hultberg also mentions that players who buy The Division get a tablet version as well, so if you can't make it home to your console (and eventually, your PC, right Ubi? RIGHT?), you can be a fifth wheel of sorts and "support the four other players" via your tablet. The interview clip has a lot of gameplay footage spliced throughout, so head past the cut and have a look for yourself.
Season two of Defiance premieres on Syfy tonight
Season two of the transmedia-synergistic sci-fi wonder Defiance premieres tonight at 8 p.m. EDT on the Syfy channel. "Tonight's show picks up one year after the conclusion of Season One," says the official press release, "and players of Defiance the game can get a firsthand look at what the shows characters have been up to, as the Tarr family has expanded its operations into the Bay Area in Datak's absence, and thief Josh Nolan returns to the Bay Area in search of Irisa." Trion devs have teased the game's version of the season two storyline as well, promising new missions, new gear, a new landmass, and a new enemy faction known as The Grid. We've got the season two trailer below!
Norrathian Notebook: SOE says bye-bye ProSiebenSat.1, hello Landmark Player Studio
Double the pleasure, double the fun! SOE made two big announcements Wednesday that brought smiles to the faces of many fans. One said goodbye; the other said hello. But both were good news indeed, especially for Norrathians. Sometimes parting is just sweet, without the sorrow. Such is the case with the first bit of news: the departure of ProSiebenSat.1 from SOE. That's right, my European compadres, rejoice because SOE is bringing you back into the fold! The deal that quickly went sour for fans squished between the US company and the European partner is over, and SOE's titles are returning fully to its portfolio while region locks are being lifted. I can hear you all singing hallelujahs and dancing in the street! The second bit of news worthy of celebration was the launch of Player Studio in Landmark. Although it arrived later than anticipated thanks to the international tax registration processes, the wait was worthwhile because players from not only the U.S but also Canada, Sweden, France, the UK (yes, including Ireland), Germany, Norway, and Denmark can now submit items for sale to other players. That means that aspiring money-makers and non-builders who want to buy their cool items can finally find one another and do business. And that just paves the way for the system to work in EverQuest Next. As great as the announcements are, neither is without a few downs mixed in with the ups. Norrathian Notebook explores both bits of news to get you the necessary details.
Hellbugs invade RIFT once again
To celebrate the second season of Defiance on TV, Trion Worlds has triggered a new invasion of Hellbugs... in RIFT. Hey, even Telarites watch Syfy when they're not out battling planar forces. These aren't your old Hellbugs, but a different strain that will appear in various rifts, footholds, and new zone events. Players have a shot at earning a Hellbug mount or pet for killing their brethren en masse, so good luck if you're aiming to get one!
SOE and ProSiebenSat.1 splitting up, account migrations coming
"Sony Online Entertainment and ProSiebenSat.1 have jointly decided to migrate all PSG accounts for PlanetSide 2, DC Universe Online, and EverQuest II back to SOE in the near future," wrote SOE's Linda "Brasse" Carlson on the company's forums. SOE and PSG originally joined forces in 2012 to the dismay of European gamers who opposed the forced transfer of existing player accounts and regional server restrictions that threatened to affect international guilds and sub-communities.
Firefall introduces personalized missions-on-demand
With Firefall's official launch approaching, the devs are in a frenzy proclaiming the new features and systems that players will be seeing when that day arrives. In a new dev diary today, the team highlighted a personalized mission maker, called ARES. ARES Jobs allow players to create and launch dynamically generated quests during downtime. Players can choose from several story and gameplay options, and the system will pull together a mission that can be completed solo in the game world. The devs promise that ARES jobs will keep mixing it up with objectives and locations to avoid any danger of the missions growing stale. There are reportedly "hundreds" of jobs, and if a player so desires, he or she could level up exclusively through ARES. "ARES jobs also help to make the world feel more alive: in the current system, it is rare that you run into another player in the world by random chance," the devs wrote. "ARES missions take place in a number of predetermined locations, and dynamic events like tornados or crashed thumpers draw players to them in a predictable manner."
PlanetSide 2 players are invited to fight over new server name
Usually a server merge is a somber affair, but the team at PlanetSide 2 views the upcoming consolidation between Waterson and Mattherson as an opportunity for a cage match to the death. The prize? The right to retain the winning side's server name following the merge. SOE is planning a "ServerSmash" battle for Friday, June 20th, between the inhabitants of Waterson and Mattherson. Outfits can sign up to represent their server during the event. The studio acknowledged that this event might be a siren's call to griefers and asked for good sportsmanship: "We implore both the participating servers, as well as the community at large, to take the high ground and help us make this a fun, amazing event that we can all appreciate." [Thanks to OdinsPride for the tip!]
E3 2014: PlanetSide 2 PS4 demo showcases visuals, performance
While PlanetSide 2 has been out since the end of 2012 on the PC, it isn't due out on PlayStation 4 until later this year. At E3 2014, we got a hands-on demo of the game with lead game designer Luke Sigmund and executive producer Clint Worley to check out how the console version of the MMOFPS is coming along. And it's definitely coming along. Sigmund said that In order to get PS2 ready for release on the PS4, the team has been focusing a lot of attention on optimization and getting the controls feeling right. Currently, the team is doing daily playtests to get feedback on the look and feel of the builds. Sigmund emphasized, "The things we are focusing on for the PS4 are usability, new player experience, and optimization. For us, it's just a matter of getting it right. We don't want to put it out there and not be happy with the way it looks." So how does it look right now? Pretty darn good!
Defiance returns to Syfy next week, features game loot codes
Defiance fans, season two of the TV show starts next week! Not only that, but Trion and Syfy are teaming up to offer free game loot codes which will air during each broadcast. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, mark your calendars for the premiere episode on June 19th at 8:00 p.m. EDT. Viewers in Australia, Brazil, Latin America, German, and parts of Europe can tune in on Friday, June 20th.
PlanetSide 2 launches an E3 PS4 trailer
PlanetSide 2 is expanding to the PlayStation 4 in the near future, and there's reason for fans to be excited. Not just for the momentary giggle when you realize that you're playing PS2 on a PS4. There should be more details available at next week's E3, but for now, you can feast your eyes on the game's console trailer just past the break. If you're expecting some heretofore unseen game mechanics, you'll be disappointed, but if you're looking forward to seeing the game in action, you'll be quite pleased. It's all of the large-scale science fiction warfare from the PC on a console, and it doesn't look half bad at that. If you own a PS4 and want a bit more territory-controlling shooting, jump on down to the trailer. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
The Division's E3 teaser is all... Christmasy
The Division may not be coming out until next year, but you can get a (very) brief taste of it in Ubisoft's new E3 teaser. Really, it's nothing more than a teaser for the show and the upcoming reveals, but the shot of New York City in fast motion set against a soft voice singing "Silent Night" delivers on atmosphere if not details. You can check it out after the break.
Firefall outlines progression on the path to launch
As Firefall approaches an official launch at long last, the game's design team is taking a look at the game as a whole and trimming up parts of the game that can be made better than they are. The newest development diary on the official site discusses doing just that with the game's progression system, a task accomplished by removing some systems, consolidating others, and generally making progress that much easier to understand all around. As players go out and fight things in a given battleframe, the frame will level up, with new abilities coming regularly as you level. Frames will visibly improve as you increase in level, unlocking perks as you level up that can be used across all frames, with new abilities and weapons containing module slots for customization purposes. The new frame core equipment replaces the more fiddly systems of before, making it easier to slot in effects for improved jump jets or the like. Check out the full diary for all the details on how progression will be more straightforward for launch.
Defiance goes free-to-play
We've known it was happening for a while, but now it's coming to fruition -- as of today's patch, Defiance is free-to-play. On the PC, anyhow. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will be going free-to-play on July 15th, although they're still getting all of the updates associated with the free-to-play patch. And while the patch contains a lot of the requisite store upgrades and so forth, there's more stuff in there for everyone. For example, players will now receive special lockboxes for each DLC that they own as part of the game's daily and weekly login rewards. Score mechanics have also been trimmed up, allowing players to more easily get credit for participating in events. And there's the usual array of bugfixes and the like to produce a more polished game for everyone, whether you're a long-term veteran of the game or just want to hop in now that you can play for free.
